第21章 THE BOOK OF THE THOUSAND NIGHTS AND ONE NIGHT(19)

Presently the cookmaid came to herself and seeing the four fish burnt black as coalsaid'My arms are broken in my first skirmish！'And fell down again in a swoon. Whilst she was in this statein came the Vizierto seek the fishand found her insensiblenot knowing Saturday from Thursday. So he stirred her with his foot and she came to herself and wept and told him what had passed. He marvelled and said'This is indeed a strange thing ！'Then he sent for the fisherman and said to him'O fishermanbring us four more fish of the same kind.'So the fisherman repaired to the lake and cast his net and hauling it infound in it four fish like the first and carried them to the Vizierwho took them to the cookmaid and said to her'Comefry them before methat I may see what happens.'So she cleaned the fish and setting the frying-pan on the firethrew them into it：

and they had not lain long before the wall opened and the damsel appearedafter the same fashionand thrust the rod into the pansaying'O fishO fishare you constant to the old covenant？'And behold the fish all lifted up their heads and cried out as before'Yesyes：

Returnand we return： keep faithand so will we： Orif thou wiltforsakeand we'll do like to thee！'

Then she overturned the pan and went out as she had come and the wall closed up again. When the Vizier saw thishe said'This is a thing that must not be kept from the King. So he went to him and told him what he had witnessed；and the King said'I must see this with my own eyes.'Then he sent for the fisherman and commanded him to bring him other four fish like the first；and the fisherman went down at once to the lake and casting his net，caught other four fish and returned with them to the Kingwho ordered him other four hundred diners and set a guard upon him till he should see what happened. Then he turned to the Vizier and said to him'Come thou and fry the fish before me.'Quoth the Vizier'I hear and obey.'So he fetched the frying-pan and setting it on the firecleaned the fish and threw them in： but hardly had he turned themwhen the wall openedand out came a black slaveas he were a mountain or one of the survivors of the tribe of Aadwith a branch of a green tree in his hand：

and he saidin a terrible voice'O fishO fishare you constant to the old covenant？'Whereupon they lifted up their heads and cried out'Yesyes；we are constant：

Returnand we return： keep faithand so will we： Orif thou wilt，forsakeand we'll do like to thee！'

Then the slave went up to the pan and overturning it with the branchwent out as he had comeand the wall closed up as before. The King looked at the fish and found them black as coal；whereat he was bewildered and said to the Vizier'This is a thing about which it is impossible to keep silence；and indeed there must be some strange circumstance connected with these fish.'Then he sent for the fisherman and said to him'Hark ye，sirrahwhence hadst thou those fish？'From a lake between four hills，'answered he'on the thither side of the mountain behind the city.'How many days'journey hence？'asked the King；and the fisherman said'O my lord Sultanhalf an hour's journey.'

At this the King was astonished and ordering the troops to mount，set out at oncefollowed by his suite and preceded by the fishermanwho began to curse the Afrit. They rode on over the mountain and descended into a wide plainthat they had never before set eyes onwhereat they were all amazed. Then they fared on till they came to the lake lying between the four hills and saw the fish therein of four coloursred and white and yellow and blue. The King stood and wondered and said to his attendants，'Has any one of you ever seen this lake before？'But they answered'Never did we set eyes on it in all our livesO King of the age.'Then he questioned those stricken in yearsand they made him the same answer. Quoth he'By AllahI will not return to my capital nor sit down on my chair of estate till I know the secret of this pond and its fish！'Then he ordered his people to encamp at the foot of the hills and called his Vizierwho was a man of learning and experiencesagacious and skilful in businessand said to him'I mean to go forth alone to-night and enquire into the matter of the lake and these fish： wherefore do thou sit down at the door of my pavilion and tell the amirs and viziers and chamberlains and officers and all who ask after me that the Sultan is ailing and hath ordered thee to admit no one，and do thou acquaint none with my purpose.'The Vizier dared not oppose his design；so the King disguised himself and girt on his sword and going forth privilytook a path that led over one of the hills and fared on all that night and the next daytill the heat overcame him and he paused to rest. Then he set out again and fared on the rest of that day and all the next nighttill on the morning of the second dayhe caught sight of some black thing in the distancewhereat he rejoiced and said'Belike I shall find some one who can tell me the secret of the lake and the fish.'So he walked ontill he came to the black object，when he found it a palace built of black stoneplated with iron；and one leaf of its gate was open and the other shut. At this the King rejoiced and went up to the gate and knocked lightlybut heard no answer. So he knocked a second time and a third time，with the same result. Then he knocked loudlybut still no one answered；and he said to himself'It must be deserted.'So he took courage and entering the vestibulecried out'Hopeople of the palace！I am a stranger and a wayfarer and hungry. Have ye any victual？'He repeated these words a second and a third time，but none answered. So he took heart and went on boldly into the interior of the palacewhich he found hung and furnished with silken stuffsembroidered with stars of goldand curtains let down before the doors. In the midst was a spacious courtyard，with four estradesone on each sideand a bench of stone.